…but one is definitely better FOR YOU. We’ll help you decide by comparing all of the important details of both (ease of installation, available features, pricing, etc.) so you have all the information you need to make a smart decision.

Installation

As far as ease of installation is concerned, there’s one clear winner.

The Nest can be installed by anyone who can read a basic schematic and has enough confidence to put two and two together. All you have to do is follow the instructions and plug in three wires, which should take less than 15 minutes.

The setup for the Ecobee3 is a little more involved. Is it difficult? Not particularly, but there is more to do mainly because the Ecobee3 utilizes remote sensors (which we discuss in the “Operating Pattern” section below).

I don’t think installation should be a big concern when trying to decide between the two. The Nest is easier, but they’re both easy enough that it doesn’t really matter.

Winner: Nest, barely.

Appearance & Interface

The Nest is all about sleek minimalism, which lends to its easy-to-learn design and ensures that it will fit into pretty much any home no matter what the interior decor is like. I’m a big fan of its simplicity.

Using the Nest is as simple as turning it to change the temperature (like you would with a normal thermostat). If you want to change any settings, the spin dial is also used to make selections (similar to the dial on the first iPod). You can also interact using the Nest mobile app.

But while the Nest’s goal is simplicity, the Ecobee3 aims for usability. The thermostat itself has a full-color touchscreen that you can operate like any smartphone — with your finger using taps and swipes — or you can use the free mobile app.

My one complaint about the Ecobee3’s appearance is its size. The Nest is a circle with a 3.3-inch diameter while the Ecobee3 is a rounded square with 4-inch edges. It’s a noticeable difference that makes the Ecobee3 stand out more, but at least it’s not ugly.

Winner: Ecobee3, for the flexibility.

Operating Patterns

This is where the two smart thermostats really distinguish themselves from each other. Both claim to reduce your energy costs and make your life easier, but they go about it in different ways.

The Nest is a learning thermostat, which simply means that it tracks what temperatures you tend to set and when you tend to set those temperatures, then uses this data to automatically adjust the temperature accordingly.

The Ecobee3, on the other hand, uses a system of remote sensors that are placed around your home. These sensors have two purposes: one, they track temperature on a per-room basis, and two, they’re used to determine when people are home.

Along with the sensors, the Ecobee3 incorporates weather forecast data, the time of day, and other factors to determine the optimal temperature. If your HVAC supports it, Ecobee3 can heat/cool only occupied rooms. When nobody is home, it goes into energy-saving mode.

The sensors aren’t perfect, though. They have a range of 45 feet and they’ve been known to disconnect from the system at times. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often, and the Ecobee3 can be set up to send alerts when a disconnect does happen.

Winner: Ecobee3, for the sensors.

Other Notable Features

If you’ve gotten this far and you still can’t decide between the two of them, then you may want to consider the extra features. These may or may not come in handy depending on your needs.

Comes with preset schedules that are good enough for most people, so you don’t have to bother “teaching” the thermostat if you don’t want to.

Sensor Participation can set individual remote sensors to only be active during certain times of the day.

Thermal Protect can set minimum and maximum thresholds for temperature readings. Any temperatures outside of the range are marked inaccurate and ignored.

Geofencing can automatically trigger changes to the Ecobee3 based on your mobile location.

Web portal can show how much energy you save every month, send alerts when issues are detected, and reminders for maintenance.

Winner: Tie. All of these features are nice to have, but I don’t consider any of them to be gamechangers or dealbreakers.

Price

At the end of the day, this is the comparison that most people care about. How much is it going to cost you? As it turns out, the two are surprisingly similar so it probably won’t sway you one way or the other.

The Nest Learning Thermostat is on its 3rd generation as of this writing and is available for $250 new on Amazon. You can get the 2nd generation version for $230, but we don’t recommend it. The upgrade is definitely worth the $20 difference.

The Ecobee3 Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat is on its 2nd generation as of this writing and is available for $200 (one remote sensor) or $260 (three remote sensors). You’ll probably want the three-sensor package.

Winner: Tie.

Smarten Your Home in Smart Ways

On the surface, it might seem like I’ve declared the Ecobee3 to be superior to the Nest — with 2 wins, 2 ties, and 1 loss — but the truth is that they’re both quite comparable. If one wins, it’s only by a slight margin.

Ecobee3
looks to be superior with individual thermostatic controls.
Looks like a great Thermostat with excellent features. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that if there are no dampers installed or controlled by the thermostats then one room is either being cooled or heated beyond another and you can probably just adjust your vents to control the air flow.
your thermostat with todays knowledge needs Heat & Cool
(1) 2H 2C min for heat pumps
(2) 4 to 8 daily schedules.
(3) WiFi for remote monitoring (PC & Cell Phone)
look for weather forecast & Monthly Reports.
(4) Optional Controls for Humidifier Control, UV Bulb, Air Filter change & DST
(5) Oh almost forgot Random Fan Control
well anyway that's just some features that I already have on an old model. Plus a WiFi feature I'm looking for on a new model
Just can't make up my mind on the Ecobee3 (est $175) or Honeywell (est $126) the remote sensors seem handy on the Ecobee3. Still reading and looking around.

I have two NEST thermostats, one upstairs and one downstairs. Love them. Easy install and easy to use. I like the auto away feature and the energy usage info, both at the thermostat and on the app. The monthly email energy notice is nice too. I think this will save in the long run by its operation and because you become aware of the energy usage and adjust yourself, much like your driving habits when you can see real-time gas milage on the instrument cluster in your car.

The Nest thermostat did not do so well in Consumer's Reports testing. The June 2004 issue rates it as "never mind" because of the un-intuitive initial setup. While the Nest conveniently automatically updates its software over the 'Net, a significant number of users complained that it shuts down the heating system after updates and forgets to restart it, resulting in frozen/burst pipes.

Hey fcd, that 2004 report was probably for the first generation model. Nest is now on 3.0, and both the 2.0 and 3.0 versions have drastically improved installation processes. As for the working errors, some people have run into problems yeah. That's valid.